"What a load of crap about a 'genius kid'… He's nothing but trash. All he does is dodge and run. Useless. Put me down there and I'd fight better than him."
"Exactly. This is the Fighting Tournament. What's a Fighting Tournament supposed to be? A place for fighters! Stand and fight already! What the hell are you doing, running all over the place?"
"Are you even fighting or not? You've been dodging for more than ten minutes. This is boring as hell. If you can't fight, get off the field."
"Unbelievable. We came to watch a match, not to watch you run laps with a monkey! Get off the battlefield!"
"That's right! Aaron, get off the field! Stop embarrassing yourself!"
"What the hell are you idiots yelling about!? Is there a rule in the Fighting Tournament that says you can't dodge? All you people do is bark!"
"Exactly! If you're so capable, why don't you go up there? You'd get wiped out instantly. Disgusting."
"A bunch of Beginner-level Trainers trying to lecture a Gym-level Trainer on how to fight. That's something else…"
…
A group of haters turned their fire on Aaron, insults flying like machine-gun fire.
They hurled every filthy insult they could think of.
Aaron's die-hard fans couldn't stand it anymore and fired right back. In the stands, they nearly came to blows with the haters.
His female fans were ready to tear into anyone who kept running their mouth.
…
On the battlefield, Aaron heard the abuse coming from the stands, but his expression did not change.
He remained perfectly calm.
He lifted his head slightly.
At that moment, the colossal dark clouds in the sky slowly drifted apart.
A ray of silver moonlight fell across Aaron's face.
Something flickered in Aaron's eyes as he murmured to himself,
"The clouds finally cleared…"
A bright smile appeared on Aaron's face.
He looked at Cedric and said calmly,
"As you wish."
"Then let's end this fight."
Across from him, Cedric stared at Aaron's smile.
For some reason, his chest tightened, and unease rose inside him.
It felt as though something terrifying was about to happen.
Don't tell me this kid still has another trump card.
Impossible.
If he had one, he would've used it already. There'd be no reason for him to keep dodging Buzzwole's attacks.
All kinds of thoughts churned through Cedric's mind. His composure wavered, and his anxiety grew.
"Kid… stop trying to act mysterious."
"You'd better admit defeat while you still can. At least that way, you can walk away with some dignity."
Cedric forced down his unease and tested Aaron with those words.
The corners of Aaron's mouth lifted slightly.
High above, the dark clouds had completely drifted away.
A round full moon hung in the sky.
Silver moonlight spilled over the battlefield.
A faint, unreadable smile appeared on Aaron's lips as he said calmly,
"I told you."
"Let me end this match."
"Infernape… awaken!"
Aaron shouted toward Infernape, who stood not far away with its head lowered, its body bathed in moonlight.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Just then, a series of deep, heavy heartbeats echoed across the battlefield.
Cedric's heart clenched.
The unease inside him grew even stronger, and he quickly turned toward Infernape in the deep pit.
Those heartbeats were coming from Infernape's small body.
They were impossibly loud.
The sudden sound silenced every argument in the stands.
Everyone turned to look in Infernape's direction.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The sound was heavy and rhythmic, like war drums rolling through the arena.
The full moon hung high in the sky, its light shining down on Infernape and wrapping it in a pale golden glow.
"Infernape!"
Infernape raised its head and let out a deafening roar.
Its cry came out deeper and more savage than before.
Its eyes had turned blood-red, and two sharp fangs jutted from its mouth.
A terrifying pressure exploded outward, sweeping across the battlefield and stirring up violent gusts of wind.
In the next instant, blinding light erupted from its body, so intense that no one could look directly at it.
Cedric's expression tightened.
Cold sweat streamed down his forehead.
He had to stop it.
He had to.
The thought pounded through Cedric's mind again and again.
If he did not stop Infernape now, something terrible was going to happen.
His instincts were screaming at him.
"Buzzwole, stop it!"
"Use Double Dynamic Punch at full power!"
Cedric's eyes went wide with fury as he roared the command.
"Buzzzwole!"
Fear flickered through Buzzwole's eyes.
Still, after hearing its Trainer's command, Buzzwole roared and drew out every last bit of energy in its body, gathering it into both fists before lunging toward Infernape.
Its fists were wrapped in dense black energy, so heavy and distorted that the shattered stones around them were pulled inward.
Those two fists blasted toward the spot where Infernape's blinding light was flashing.
The white light detonated like a gigantic flashbang.
In an instant, it swallowed the entire Fighting Arena, forcing everyone to shut their eyes.
"Infernape!"
A massive roar shook the arena.
It sounded as if some ancient beast had awakened beneath the full moon.
The roar was deafening.
Everyone felt their heart jolt, as though it had skipped half a beat.
Boom! Boom!
Two violent explosions erupted.
The white light slowly faded.
The crowd struggled to open their eyes and looked toward the battlefield.
When they saw what stood there, disbelief spread across every face.
Not a sound could be heard.
The entire Fighting Arena sank into an eerie silence.
Wild wind howled.
Dust rolled through the air.
The people in the stands sat frozen, their eyes wide, unable to believe what they were seeing.
At the host's podium, Kenny did not even notice when the microphone slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.
He stared fixedly toward the battlefield.
It was as if an ancient bloodline had awakened inside Infernape, turning it into something far more primal.
"Holy shit…"
Kenny blurted out the only words he could manage.
…